Unit 1: Exercise 1

Unit 1: Exercise 8

Read the information. Then read the blog post and statements 1–4. Choose False or Not Given.

In the IELTS Reading test, you might see a True / False / Not Given task. Deciding whether a statement is true should be reasonably clear. But many students are unsure about the differences between statements that are false (i.e. we know they are not true) and statements that are not given (i.e. they could be true, or they could be false; we don’t have enough information to know). In this exercise, the bold sections of the text are the bits you need to think about.

Meet lifestyle blogger Helen Dobson, who swapped city life for a move out to the country.

A year ago, my husband and I made the move out of Manchester, where we’d spent virtually our entire lives, and relocated to a tiny village in the hills, miles away from anywhere. It was a move prompted by lots of different things: the birth of our baby son, changes to our jobs and the desire to have more space.

Having lived in a nice part of Manchester for ages, I realised that for years I’d been taking the ready availability of everything for granted. When the population is greatly reduced, inevitably so is choice, from schools to types of cheese. There isn’t a decent Indian restaurant for miles, and we have to drive 30 minutes to get decent handmade organic bread. But, of course, these are outrageously first-world problems.

1. 
   Helen was born in Manchester. False/Not Given
   
2. 
   Helen’s baby was born after she moved out to the countryside. False/Not Given
   
3. 
   The schools near Helen’s new home aren’t very good. False/Not Given
   
4. 
   Helen considers the limited shopping facilities a major problem. False/Not Given